Commission recommends rezoning parcels owned by Richmond Power and Light to High Impact

On March 25, 2026, the Richmond Advisory Plan Commission voted 9‑0 to recommend that the Richmond City Council rezone two parcels owned by Richmond Power and Light from medium‑density single‑family (R‑2) and Park & Recreation (PR) to High Impact zoning, a change the petitioner said is needed to combine adjacent parcels for future site work including a detention basin.

The petition, listed in the agenda as filed by Richmond Power and Light owner Gordon Moore, was presented at the hearing by a representative identifying himself as Warden Moore of Beals Moore & Associates. Moore told the commission the request is intended to make the parcel zoning consistent with the company’s larger adjacent parcel so the four surveyed tracks can be combined and taken to the plat committee for final approval.

“This is rezoning, not approval of the drainage plans or anything that’s going to happen in the future,” Moore said, adding that detailed construction and discharge plans would require later approvals.

During public comment, resident Paul Bauchner of 1951 Liberty Ave said he and his wife moved to their home two years ago and asked for assurances about future development and stormwater flow. “My biggest fear is once this is approved, they could put any structure they want on this property,” Bauchner said, and asked where stormwater from a proposed detention basin would discharge and whether it could affect the pond and creek near his property.

Tony Foster, identified in the hearing as the utility’s general manager, told the commission the parcels were acquired in previous years and that the rezoning is intended to avoid a later rezoning if the utility needs to construct a detention basin. Foster said the location is unlikely to be used for a substation or storage buildings and that the utility acquired the land to support future projects. “It serves us no purpose for any type of substation or... storage buildings,” Foster said.

Moore and Foster also described the subsequent regulatory steps that would follow site work: engineering design submittals, review by the Richmond Sanitary District to determine where and how discharge would be handled, and soil and water conservation review for erosion control if more than one acre is disturbed.

Planning director Shannon Hayes presented the staff report and recommended approval, citing the comprehensive plan and the Richmond Rising community action plan. Hayes’ report noted one parcel was acquired by the utility in 2020 and the other in 2024, and that staff consulted city departments and utilities and found no public health or safety objections. The staff recommendation emphasized that appropriate buffering, screening and site design measures should mitigate impacts on nearby residences.

After the staff presentation and brief commissioner discussion, a motion to recommend the zoning amendment to city council passed by roll call vote, 9‑0. The commission’s favorable recommendation will be forwarded to the Richmond City Council for final action.

Next steps: the rezoning will go to the Richmond City Council with the commission’s positive recommendation; detailed drainage design and any construction would require separate permitting and approvals by the sanitary district and other agencies.